Nicolette Dirk
IN celebration of the UN International Day for Indigenous People, the Western Cape Legislative Khoisan Council hosted a Khoisan festival in Atlantis at the weekend to showcase their tradition through artwork.
The Institute for the Restoration of the Aborigine of SA (Irasa) secretary Tania Kleinhans-Cedras said Sunday was also the celebration of the new year on the Khoisan calendar, which made the celebration more significant.
Kleinhans-Cedras said 150 people attended the celebration of Khoisan cultural artefacts and food.
“The Khoisan people originated from the Western Cape, but we have not received much support from the City of Cape Town. There are 4.5 million Khoisan people in the country and the largest number of this group reside in the Western Cape. In the past, we have been dispossessed of our land and the rights are still not being advanced,” she said.
Kleinhans-Cedras said last month the council had had a meeting with mayor Patricia de Lille, but as yet they had not received any feedback from her. But De Lille said the Khoisan Council’s grievances stemmed from them not understanding how the South African constitution worked.
“As a party, we need to respect the constitution. For the Khoisan to be recognised as a traditional group with rights, this would mean that the constitution would have to be amended. This is a national issue and they are fighting with the wrong people,” she said.
De Lille said that three days before Sunday’s celebration the council wanted the City to provide a venue for the event, but because it would take place outside the metropole area, they needed to contact the West Coast Municipality for assistance.
“I told them that should the event take place within the metro area, we could arrange a venue, but because it was outside our borders we could not authorise it,” said De Lille.